'anticommercialist' originates from Modern English, specifically formed from the prefix 'anti-' (from Greek 'anti') and the noun 'commercialist' (from 'commercial' + '-ist'), where 'anti-' meant 'against' and 'commercial' is ultimately related to Latin 'commercium' meaning 'trade'.

'anticommercialist' was created as a compound of 'anti-' + 'commercialist'. 'Commercialist' derives from 'commercial' (from Middle French 'commercial' and Medieval Latin 'commercialis') and the agent suffix '-ist' (from Greek/Latin usage), and 'commercial' itself evolved from Latin 'commercium' (trade). The modern English coinage 'anticommercialist' reflects this compound formation.

Initially, formations with 'anti-' + 'commercial' or related elements simply signified being 'against commerce' or 'against commercialization'; over time such compounds have come to be used more specifically to denote opposition to 'commercialism' as a cultural or ideological stance rather than literal opposition to trade.